A new surf shop has opened in former public toilets in Whitley Bay - and people can also rent bikes to cycle along the coast.
Friends Mark Ward and Michael Dobinson, both 54, who grew up in Whitley Bay and still live there, took over the former loos at Watts Slope, near Spanish City, and turned the 85 square metre-space into the Northerly Swell Surfside Emporium.
North Tyneside Council has already opened new public toilets next to the site. The 'old netty' then became available for reuse.
Now the new store is offering surf and beach gear including paddleboards, bodyboards, clothing, frisbees and other equipment.
It also has bikes that customers can rent and use along the coast.
The owners managed to acquire a set of old Mobikes.
They repainted the cycles and removed the GPS trackers, so people don't need to log in through an app - they can be rented through the shop.
Mr Ward, a surfer himself, who helped to found the Tynemouth Surf Co on Grand Parade in the 1990s, said: "We felt Whitley Bay was missing this type of thing.
" Tynemouth has always been a very prominent surfing beach. But Whitley Bay has maybe been overlooked. I have been surfing at Whitley Bay since I was 15.
"So the town really needed something like this. And when we saw the opportunity, we decided to go for it.
"We wanted to do the bike rentals because it's a great way for people to see the coast, whether they cycle to St Mary's Lighthouse or to Tynemouth."
He said they received help from North Tyneside Council, in particular senior manager for regeneration Graham Sword and senior surveyor Chris Wilkinson.
"Whitley Bay has seen a lot of regeneration over the years," said Mr Ward. "Spanish City and the promenade are looking great.
"And Whitley Bay as a whole is a lot better than it was a lot of years ago. It feels like a haven at the moment.
"This part of the coast almost seems like the Costa Brava when the weather is good. And we feel very proud with what we have done."
